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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

The Flyers continued their strong draft today by Jaime Penedo, Marcelo Sarvas, and Lamar Neagle in rounds five through seven. It seems like the team is deeper than ever with a list of guys who are all capable of adding points to the board any day of the week.

Penedo, the Galaxy's savior last season when he came in on a free transfer to fix their serious keeper issues, is a strong netminder who, when paired with a strong Galaxy backline, is a threat to keep a clean sheet every week. He stops shots on reflex like few else in the league and, if the Galaxy are in top form, could provide the Flyers with more than one point on occasion. No longer will keeper issues trouble the Rose City.

Sarvas breezes by Jeff Parke

Marcelo Sarvas, who spends time up in midfield from Penedo is one of the fulcrums of LA's strong attack. Last season it was not uncommon to see him figuring out a way to put points on the board when guys further of the field were sputtering. Finally, Lamar Neagle sees play both up top and on the left wing in every system the Seattle Sounders have run in the last two years. A breakout campaign last season netted him twelve points in the BSL and he could very well do better this year.

Keep up to date on the BSL draft and who will be wearing the Red this season by watching this space.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

After finishing the preseason with three very strong players, Rose City has come out of the gates and added a ton more quality with their first three draft picks. Added to the roster are Houston stalwart Giles Barnes, USMNT player Robbie Findley, and Timbers front man Maxi Urruti.

Of the three, Urruti is the biggest risk, scoring only one goal in his short time in the league last season. However, he's looked strong in preseason play, is well fitted for Caleb Porter's possession and pressure offense, and has now had an entire preseason to mesh with his teammates. Everyone in the Timbers' front four should put up big numbers in assists and goals this season.

Barnes and Findley are more known quantities. Both have EPL experience and put up numbers regularly. Barnes finished the previous BSL season with 13 points and Findley had eight. Both are important parts of their teams' attacking strength and both are proven to be dangerous.

The draft is going well, with plenty of strong performing players left to pick up in the next few rounds. Check back here for more.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The BSL Front Office has officially released the league schedule for the upcoming 2014 BSL season. It features the now standard twenty-two games before two months worth of playoff action including the BSL Cup and Majors Cup.

The Rose City Flyers begin and end the season with last season's upstarts, the Orange County Zodiac. Also of interest is a home and away separated by a week with Spartans 1612 in weeks ten and twelve. The Flyers front office is already eying that one as a way to climb the standings rapidly (or solidify their place at the top). In addition, the Boys in Red will face Alliance replacements the Ohio Toffees in weeks seven and fifteen. That's unfortunate because it's likely the first time front office will have a handle on things by then.

Finally, Rose City would like to announce this season's new kit updates! The sponsor will remain, as ever, Powell's City of Books but a new look will be appearing on the pitch this season. Check it out below and tell the ownership what you think in the comments.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Trickles and hints of rumors have been floating around all winter about who the Flyers might be looking to bring to the Rose City this off season. Those rumors amped up when only one DP was announced, leaving some names that have been with the club for a while like Mauro Rosales and Marvin Chavez on the outside looking in. Today however, it's confirmed. Diego Fagundez, the New England Revolution/Alamo City Battle striker who put up twenty points in the BSL last season will be making his way to the Rose City as the team's second DP. In exchange, the Flyers sent the Battle their highly coveted first round pick.

In addition to some startling hair, the striker's numbers in MLS last season startled some themselves. Seeing some minutes the year before, he's become one of the most important cogs in Jay Heaps' increasingly dangerous side. He's safe too. He's been signed to a multi-year contract within MLS where he can continue to grow and start scoring for the Flyers.

"We looked at it as an opportunity," the Flyers General Manager said when asked. "We had a good first round pick for sure, but that translated into a trade for basically anyone in the league. Instead of chancing it on the draft, we opted to pick up a guy we were sure we were looking for, who's a known quantity. Diego is a top notch guy and a rising star in both MLS and the BSL."

This brings the Flyers confirmed lineup for 2014 to three including Fagundez, Marco Di Vaio who himself put up twenty-two points last season, and the squad's first Retention Player, Aurelien Collin. Together they form the backbone of a squad looking to set things right from last season, get back into the picture for the BSL Cup, and earn the Rose City's first birth in the Majors Cup. It's a group that's just the right mix of young and experienced.

"Marco [Di Vaio] is likely retiring at the end of this MLS season and so it's important to both have a strong squad to send him off with a bang, and have some concept of where we're going once he's gone," the Flyers Head Coach explained. "We were increasingly relying on older guys or guys not getting much time last year in addition to a slew of injuries. We're starting this season off differently. We've had discussions about where to go from here and we have a strong idea of who else we'd like to have wearing the Red and Black."